Members RV Travel Newsletter for Saturday, November 25, 2023

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Saturday, November 25, 2023
Issue 1132
Members edition

  Featured articles  

Sheetz stores drop gas price to $1.99 for holiday

Sheetz, a major Mid-Atlantic restaurant and convenience store chain, will celebrate Thanksgiving week by reducing Unleaded 88 gasoline prices to $1.99 a gallon at all its locations that carry the fuel grade in Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. The limited-time promotion only lasts a few more days. Continue reading.

EV charging stations for RVs—Thor pushes concept

The RV industry seems to have recognized the wind-change in vehicles. Like it or not, electric vehicles will become a reality somewhere in the future. Some RV manufacturers have made a move toward adapting to that reality, but one thing stands in the way. EV charging stations for RVs will be a necessity. A key principle of RVing is freedom: freedom to go where you want. If there aren’t charge stations along the way, plenty of them, electric RVs (eRVs) won’t sell. RV giant Thor is pushing for them. Learn more.

Help wanted finding Great Smoky Mountains National Park arsonist

The National Park Service is requesting the public’s help in identifying those responsible for the start of the Rich Mountain Fire in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The initial investigation indicates that two fires were started on Nov. 20 in the Rich Mountain area by an unknown arsonist. The fires were started under high wind conditions, a red flag warning and a park-wide burn ban. Continue reading.

BLM closures – Agency wants to change rules for emergencies

A federal agency wants to change the rules on BLM closures as they pertain to emergencies and certain other situations. Under current rules, at any time the Bureau of Land Management moves to close or restrict access to land it manages, the agency must publish temporary closure and restriction orders in the Federal Register. It’s not a simple, nor fast, process. … The agency wants to change the rules on this in two ways. Learn more.

Campground Crowding

RVer cracks camping code, pays $10 for two months of camping. And “Why is nobody talking about Harvest Hosts?”

RV sales have slowed and fewer people are buying RVs than has been the recent trend. Has that changed campground crowding? Nanci Dixon shares some of your views including an RVer’s insightful thoughts on RV life; longtime RVers giving up their RV lifestyle for bedbugs (well, sort of); the benefits of campground and other types of memberships; why one RVer adamantly says you shouldn’t get a discount if you don’t use a park’s amenities; and how one RVer only paid $10 for two months of camping.

Click here to read

RV Video Tour

First look: 2024 Airstream Rangeline Class B with pop top

By Cheri Sicard
Join Gabby from RVs with Gabby for a first-look tour of an innovative new Airstream, the 2024 Airstream Rangeline with the pop top option. Built on a Ram ProMaster^® chassis, the Rangeline provides a lower-priced, gas-powered alternative to Airstream’s Mercedes-Benz^® Sprinter van Class B’s.

Click here to tour

 We are now reporting the news daily 

Stay up to date with the news! Get the latest news about RVing every weekday afternoon straight to your inbox. Sign up to receive these timely emails here. (You can easily unsubscribe if you wish.)

Don’t want to sign up? Don’t worry. This newsletter isn’t going anywhere. Continue reading this newsletter every Saturday for a recap of the latest news for RVers.

More RVing News

Los Angeles will recycle impounded RVs. LA’s Police Commission has signed off on a $250,000 contract with an area recycler to take 97 impounds off the city’s hands. SA Recycling says it can handle as many as 15 derelict RVs per day. In addition to the 97 already impounded, the contract covers any others that might show up in the next two years. Read more.

Holiday RVing? KOA expects to see plenty of it. In the midst of the Thanksgiving holiday, campground giant KOA comes out with a report on holiday RVing. If you’re out there with your rig now, you’ve probably seen plenty of other RVers. What about the rest of the season? A KOA report says 90% of campers anticipate traveling during the holidays. And holiday RVing may spill over into winter RVing. Learn more.

Finally! It may be a red letter day for West Coast RVers: California gas prices have dropped below $5 a gallon. For Golden Staters it’s likely a Godsend, but the price is still higher than any other state in the country. Fill up on the story here.

The southeast entrance to Death Valley National Park is now open after flood damage. Badwater Road provides direct access from Shoshone, CA, to the temporary lake at Badwater Basin. Learn more about the road opening here. In addition, Death Valley camping has reopened even as crews continue to repair and reopen flood-damaged roads. Learn more.

Speaking of roads reopening… Great Smoky Mountains Roads reopen after fire. Park Service officials in Tennessee say things are better after areas of the Great Smoky Mountains were closed due to arson fires started on Nov. 20 and many roads have reopened. Read more.

This probably isn’t the best time of year to visit Zion National Park. If you must visit, the National Park Service warns to expect big crowds. Read more.

It took several years and $8 million, but there’s a new place for RVers along the Arkansas River. The new Fort Smith, Arkansas, 27-acre, 100-site RV resort called Riverfront RV Resort opened last week. Learn more here.

Several popular Northern California BLM campgrounds will close for winter. The closures include the Pit River Campground near Fall River Mills; the North Eagle Lake Campground in Lassen County; and the Douglas City, Junction City and Steel Bridge campgrounds along the Trinity River in Trinity County. Learn more about these closures here.

Rocky Mountain National Park proposes permanent timed-entry reservation system. It includes four proposed plans to help with visitor management. They cover a variety of approaches including timed-entry reservations, “amenity fees,” and temporary closures. Click here to learn more.

A popular Maryland county park, Breezy Point Beach & Campground, will see a big change in 2024. A “daily camping model” is being set in place, and seasonal camping is chopped. Bye, bye, seasonal campers!

Two Badger State lawmakers have proposed a law that would give Wisconsin residents a jump on campsites. Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) and Representative Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay) think their state’s residents are getting the short end of the stick when competing with non-Wisconsinites for state park campsites. Learn more.

RV dealership Lazydays is continuing its westward expansion. This time the big company has bought out a Surprise, Arizona, dealership. The dealership formerly known as Orangewood RV Center has been rechristened to Lazydays RV of Phoenix at Arrowhead. The new dealership will mark the 24th outlet in the U.S. for the company. Read more.

Saturday Giveaway!

How would you like to win this buildable coasters cactus?

Build a cactus out of coasters, take one (or two or three) down when you need it! “Build” it in many different shapes, creating a different cactus each time.

How to win
We’ll select a winner at random out of all entries we receive today (November 25, 2023) by 7 p.m. Pacific time. Remember, you can only enter once and after we notify you by email via RVcontests@gmail.com that you won, you have 24 hours to respond or we’ll give the prize to someone else.

Click here to enter or see last week’s winner!

Reader poll

Snowbirds: Will you stay in one place this winter season or move around?

Click here to respond

HOW LONG WILL YOU EAT YOUR THANKSGIVING LEFTOVERS? See how the readers of our RV Daily Tips Newsletter responded yesterday. Did about 60 percent say they would eat their leftovers for more than one meal or just closer to 40 percent? Find out.

Latest fuel prices

Here are the latest U.S. average prices per gallon of gasoline and diesel fuel as of November 20, 2023:
Regular unleaded gasoline: $3.29
Change from week before: Down 6 cents; Change from year before: Down 36 cents.
Diesel: $4.21
Change from week before: Down 9 cents; Change from year before: Down $1.02.

For fuel prices for specific regions, states, and cities, go to U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Recent Recalls

• Honda recall affects several models over seizing engine
• Forest River trailer recall for bad electrical outlet wiring, potential fire hazard
• Airstream motorhome recall for bad tire information

Bonus: Tips, advice and other things you should know about recalls (of any kind)

DID YOU KNOW we have many other newsletters too?

That’s right! We publish at least one newsletter every day, and sometimes two!

• RV Daily Tips: Monday-Friday. Helpful tips, tricks, maintenance and repair advice, RV reviews, and much more.
• Breaking RV News: The latest, breaking news for RVers delivered to your inbox daily.
• RV Repair and Maintenance Tips: Beginning Tuesday, and then every Tuesday, receive an email digest of all our articles on the subject for the past week.
• Full-Time RVer: For full-time RVers or those thinking about becoming one, this newsletter comes every other Wednesday.
• Great RV Accessories: Like gadgets and gizmos? This every-other-Thursday newsletter is for you!

Learn more about each newsletter here.

Brain Teaser

(Answer in tomorrow’s Sunday RV Travel newsletter. And please don’t spoil it for other readers by posting the answer in the comments.)

Upcoming RV shows

Click here for a (recently updated) directory of upcoming shows.

Recipes of the Day

For your Thanksgiving leftovers…

• Bacon Cheddar Mashed Potato Cakes
• Chicken or Turkey Enchiladas
• Thanksgiving Turkey Noodle Soup
• Turkey Shepherd Pie (pictured)
• “Leftover” Sweet Potato Strudel

Trivia

Wall Street, in New York City, despite being synonymous with the financial district, was originally an actual wall. In the 17th century, during the Dutch colonial period, a defensive wall was constructed to protect the northern boundary of the New Amsterdam settlement from potential English invasions. The wall later became a street and served various purposes, eventually becoming the epicenter of American finance and home to the New York Stock Exchange.

Laugh of the Week

Seeing her friend Sally wearing a new locket, Meg asks if there is a memento of some sort inside. “Yes,” says Sally, “a lock of my husband’s hair.” “But Larry’s still alive.” “I know, but his hair is gone.”

Today in History

RVtravel.com All Star Team

Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Editor: Emily Woodbury. Associate editor: Diane McGovern. Senior editors: Russ and Tiña De Maris. Senior writers: Nanci Dixon, Gail Marsh, Dave Solberg and Cheri Sicard. Contributors: Roger Marble, Dave Helgeson, Janet Groene, J.R. Montigel, Randall Brink, Dustin Simpson, Dale Wade, Jan Steele and Tony Barthel. Financial affairs director: Gail Meyring. IT wrangler: Kim Christiansen. Artificial Intelligence (AI) contributors: Johnny Robot and Milly MacWilly. Canine mascots: Archie and Astor “the Disaster”

Everything in this newsletter is true to the best of our knowledge. But we occasionally get something wrong. We’re just human! So don’t go spending $10,000 on something we said was good simply because we said so, or fixing something according to what we suggested (check with your own technician first). Maybe we made a mistake. Tips and/or comments in this newsletter are those of the authors and may not reflect the views of RVtravel.com or this newsletter.

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